Photo credit: Eric Smiley. Note RR signal lantern on left from Babette’s collection. This November I was honored to be hosted by the Queer Resource Center at Portland Community College to give a quest lecture on Babette and her life. … Continue reading →

After all the turns and twists my life took after moving into Babette’s pantry, the world famous pianist Awadagin Pratt provided a most usual conclusion. I first met the man following a 2000 performance in Yakima with their local symphony. … Continue reading →

One October day in 1956, the grand house on Tolman street that I would later share with Babette, played host to a TV star. “Howdy Doody”, the first major American television program aimed at children, featured a mute clown named … Continue reading →

It’s a detail that didn’t make the book, but there’s no denying Babette was a cat lover. I never met her favorite, an orange tabby named Bad Cat. He died of old age several years before I took up residence the … Continue reading →

My website is not ordinarily used for record reviews, but after paying over $100 dollars for an album, I’d better have an opinion about it, and yes, this does involve Babette. First of all, this isn’t just a record. … Continue reading →

On September 13th I was invited to Yakima for Inklings Bookshop’s 2014 Authors Fair. This was an exciting chance for me to visit Babette’s home town for the first time since our last trip there in 2001. We used to make overnight … Continue reading →

One of Babette’s favorite themes in her classes was the First World War. She often bemoaned how otherwise educated Americans possessed very little knowledge about the conflict and was pleased that when I substitute taught one of her classes, I … Continue reading →

Among the several generous donations from local businesses that assisted in promoting my release party for Babette, was a $160 gift certificate from Imperial Tattoo. The winner turned out to be my old friend Matt S. and amidst a host of … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago I got an e/mail from Emily Jaceks, the host of a central Washington television show called “Good Morning Northwest.” She invited me to come on air as a guest and be interviewed about my book. This … Continue reading →